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This guide covers the April 20, 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, issues surrounding the spill and its effects on the Gulf Coast both environmentally and economically.
Last Updated: Jun 22, 2011 URL: http://guides.library.msstate.edu/oilspill Print Guide RSS UpdatesShareThis

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About This Guide

This guide covers the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also known as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill or the BP Oil Spill). It is the largest marine oil spill in history, and was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform about 50 miles southeast of the Mississippi River delta on April 20, 2010 (28.74°N, 88.39°W). The Deepwater Horizon sank in about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of water on April 22, 2010. After a series of failed efforts to plug the leak, BP said on July 15 that it had capped the well, stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in 86 days.

If you have questions about any of these resources or need additional assistance, please contact Christine Fletcher or Ask A Librarian.

 

BP Oil Spill Internet Information Portals

The official homepage for the Unified Comand, government agencies and industry working on the oil spill and its aftermath, is relocaitng from its old web address deepwaterhorizonresponse.com to its new web portal Restore The Gulf.Gov. 

  • Restore the Gulf.Gov
    The official federal portal for the Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery. This site provides the public with information on the response, current operations, news and updates, how to file a claim and obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state and local partners.
  • Oil Spill Commission
    This commission's purpose is to: Examine the facts and circumstances to determine the cause of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster; Develop options for guarding against future oil spills associated with offshore drilling; Submit a final public report to the President with its findings within 6 months of the Commission's first meeting.
  • BP Official Page on the Spill
    Here we provide up-to-the-minute multimedia reports on what's being done beneath the sea, on the surface, at the shoreline and in the community.
  • Data.Gov Deepwater Horizon Response
    Due to the high level of interest in the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Data.gov is featuring data from the DOE, the EPA, the NOAA, DOI, and the states of Florida and Louisiana related to the spill, its effects, and the cleanup effort. Data include oil and gas flow and recovery measurements, air and water sample data, oil spill-related exposure information, and other data of interest to scientists, recovery workers, and citizens.
  • Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Research and Monitoring Activities Database
    This database was developed by NOAA’s National Coastal Data Development Center and serves as a single location to upload and access information about research and monitoring activities related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The database contains brief descriptions of activities but not raw data.
  • USA.Gov Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
    Includes information on efforts to contain the oil spill (with a timeline), statements and declarations issued in response to the oil spill and links to additional resources from the federal government.
 

Overview of the 2010 Deepwater Spill

  • Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling. Report to the President
    From the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, the report offers the fullest account available of what happened on April 20, 2010 when the Macondo well blew. The explosion cost the lives of 11 men and initiated the catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that spilled nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Encyclopedia of Earth: Deepwater Horizon oil spill
    EoE is an electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is a free, fully searchable collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts who collaborate and review each other's work. The articles are written in non-technical language and will be useful to students, educators, scholars, professionals, as well as to the general public.
  • ESRI Timeline Map
    This animated map shows the locations of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico for each day from April 25, when the slick was first measured, to August 4, when static kill was successful. It also shows oil slick projections, as well as locations of critical habitats.
  • ESRI Economic Impact map
    This interactive map shows the percentage of total economic activity from fishing, tourism, and shipping in the coastal areas closest to the spill.
  • Oil Spill Commission
    This commission's purpose is to: Examine the facts and circumstances to determine the cause of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster; Develop options for guarding against future oil spills associated with offshore drilling; Submit a final public report to the President with its findings within 6 months of the Commission's first meeting.
  • BP oil spill timeline from the Guardian UK
    Follow this step-by-step timeline of the BP oil spill, from the construction of Deepwater Horizon to date.
  • Gulf Oil Spill disaster 2010
    Guide from the library at Delaware State University offering a variety of resources on the oil spill. This guide is designed to help students who are researching the Economic, Political, and Environmental impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
 

Oil Spills in General

  • NOAA: Resources on Oil Spills, Response, and Restoration A Selected Bibliography
    A bibliography of web resources including Electronic Resources on Oil Spills, Response, and Restoration, Selected Videos on Oil Spills, Response, and Restoration in the NOAA Library Network, NOAA and NOAA-related Websites on Oil Spills, Other Related Websites on Oil Spills, Selected Journal Articles on Oil Spills, Ocean Dynamics, and Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico, Printed Resources on Oil Spills, Response, and Restoration in the NOAA Libraries Network.
  • EPA Emergency Management: Oil Spills
    Information on EPA programs, current cases and information sources.
  • Oil Rig: CREDO Reference Topic Page
    CREDO compiles its topics from authoritative reference sources and various web sources. Topic pages include images, definitions, other encyclopedia entries pulled from Credo, articles pulled from JSTOR, related books from Google books, news items from Yahoo News, images from Wikimedia commons and videos from YouTube.
  • Oil Spills: Search Results from CREDO Reference.
    CREDO compiles its topics from authoritative reference sources.
  • Google Oil Spill Timeline 1960-2010
    Major news stories in an historical timeline compiled form Google’s extensive news files.
  • NOAA: General Information on Responding to Oil Spills
    Information to support effective and safe responses to oil spills in the coastal environment. Includes links to relevant tools and information for field workers.

Reference Librarian

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Christine Fletcher
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Assistant Professor/Gov Docs/Microforms Reference Librarian
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Michell Memorial library, 2nd Floor
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US Government Documents, General Reference, MSU Microforms Collections, Current Periodicals, United Nations
 
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